Aleria's Adventures

Alex and I were back to double-handing from Inishturk to Inishbofin as James had abandoned ship in Turk, opting to ride back to Clew Bay with Jarlath and John aboard Nimrod. Our sail to Bofin was quite nice despite the wind being southerly as we headed south.  Our dinner on Bofin was scheduled for Murray's Doonmore Hotel Bar and Restaurant. We had ordered a water taxi which was fortunate as conditions that evening were to be a bit boisterous. The ferry captain's son, Charlie, was our driver. He had a brand new boat that was perfect for the task and another friend assisted people in boarding and disembarking. What a nice young man he is, and a very pleasant and informative skipper.  We walked up to the hotel early as our dinner was scheduled for 6 pm. We convened for drinks at the bar, met up with some new attendees arriving by land, and then shifted to the event room at the back of the hotel, which is a labyrinth of corridors leading every which way. We occupied several tables...

Off the coast of Mayo lies a very special island, Inishturk. It has little tourism and is thus reflective of real life on the islands.  But the real allure of Inishturk is its spectacular walking trails.  There is a lovely loop walk through the middle with a side shoot to the end of the island.  Across commonage, past a lake, deep gorges and precipices, past a striking memorial to past residents and names of clans, a Napoleonic Martello tower, a kitchen midden, a GAA pitch, and just striking views in all directions. Benches along the way let visitors relax and contemplate the scenery or the marvel of life itself.  At only 5 km by 2.5 km, it is easily walkable in its entirety. It is a stunning island, but the best part is the welcoming inhabitants. There are three children in the school at the moment.  We decided that Aleria would stop there on our lay day after Clare Island. We had not been in several years. As it happened, all the other boats decided to join u...

The ICC fleet anchored at Clare Island Clare Island at the mouth of Clew Bay was once the home of the pirate queen, Granuaille, otherwise known as Grace O’Malley.  We sailed out of Rosmoney in the evening with James Cahill aboard so we could be there in the morning. We had a nice early dinner with a few of the ICC crowd at the Community Centre as they serve food only until 7 pm. We called it quits early and had a pleasant night aboard.  Before the lunch gathering at the Sailors' Bar, many took in a short loop around the east end while others took showers and did laundry at the Community Centre. There weren't many people around as it was still early in the season. In fact, the Sailor's Bar opened just for us but did take in quite a few tourists as well. They managed a nice BBQ lunch with massive burgers, baked potatoes and salads.  After lunch, Carl O'Grady gave a talk about the history of Clare Island since megalithic times. He's a storyteller, not a historian, and ...